Licenciamento ambiental da atividade petrolífera marítima em Macau-RN: uma análise jurídico- social e ambiental.

Abstract

The overall aim of this work is to analyze the contribution of the environmental licensing process of maritime oil activity to the integration of the legal, social and environmental issues, in order to promote the sustainable development in the rural area of Macau−RN. Part of the original idea according to which the effectiveness of legal instruments enshrined in the democratic state environmental law should be connected with the new ideals of environmental justice and new environmental epistemologies, most notably the complexity and the environmental rationality ones, which favor the principle of popular participation and inclusion of traditional knowledge in the making and interpretation of environmental studies that support the environmental licensing activity, specifically the Environmental Impact Assessment and its Impact Report of the Environment (EIA / RIMA). The studied case was based on desk research and application of interviews with the leaders of the segments of society directly involved with the procedure of the searched area social organizations representatives and public body representatives. We used the hermeneutic method-systemic that guided the legal and non-legal interpretation of the data, under the ecological bias. It was found that the administrative procedure is still based on cartesian science’s principles, which does not privilege the knowledge of the local tradition, and limit public participation to environmental public hearings; also found that the regulation has gaps that hinder the integration of society, thus removing environmental legal principles. Despite the struggles, described in this work, there were also efforts to apply the environmental licensing more coherently with democratic environment dictates. Finally, it is suggested for the improvement of the environmental licensing process in order to bring it closer to the primates of sustainable development, ways to improve legal mechanisms developers of popular participation and integration of traditional knowledge. KEYWORDS: Oil. Sustainable Development. Environmental Licensing. Environmental Justice. Environmental Rationality